To Become A Marine
by NerdyWriter12
Summary: After being separated for 6 years, only to see each other during the summer, Bella and Jacob are finally reunited under some good, and some bad, circumstances. Will they see how much they mean to each other? Can Bella overcome her past and look to the future? This is an all-human story. Bella x Jacob. (Rewritten)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Franchise, or any of the characters, created by Stephanie Meyer.**

**A/N: This is an original story by me, and you may have seen a similar version on one of my old accounts under MaNyWaTeRs, Yourlovebug91, or another name which I completely forgot what it was. Any who, this story is still mine. I have just began to re-work it and fix it up. ~Erin (NerdyWriter12)**

**To Become a Marine  
Chapter 1: Way back when to now**

[Charlie POV]

**8 years ago…**

Billy and I sat on his porch, watching our little Bella and Jacob play around in the grass. They were best friends, much like Billy and I. Bella is only ten now, and Jacob wasn't much younger…but boy, they sure were cute.

"They will have a good future together, don't you think Charlie?" Asked Billy, taking a swig of his beer.

"Sure thing Billy. Let's hope that they will." I said, taking a sip of my beer.

**6 years ago…**

She left. Renee left, and took my Bella with her. Did I ever mention how Bella got her nickname? It came around when her and Jacob were only five years old. He would always call her "Bewwa" instead of Isabella. So we decided her nickname would be Bella.

I felt horrible. Terrible. Renee had said she couldn't take the simple, small life of Forks anymore. We had divorced, and now, she took Bella with her. I was a mess. I will never forget what happened yesterday. Renee came home, and told me she was leaving and taking Bella with her to Phoenix. She told me I could have her every summer, and holidays we would switch off every year. I was so upset, but I agreed.

We went over to the Black's house, so that Bella and Jacob could say goodbye. They were both twelve now, and they had been so close over the years. They walked around to the backyard, not coming back for at least an hour, holding hands as they came inside. Bella said her goodbyes, and I drove them to the airport.

**2 years ago….**

Four years ago….that was when Bella and her mother left. Of course, Bella has been home every summer, and every summer her and Jake spend as much time together as possible. Whether it's the beach or watching movies, they are always together. When Sarah, Billy's wife and Jacob's mother, passed away, it was hard on everyone. I spend most of my time with Billy when I'm not working. I think it hit Jacob the worst though. When Bella showed up on his doorstep, not two months after the incident, with tears in her eyes, he broke down. Over the summer, she helped him. She made him better.

They are only 16, but I haven't heard a word of either one of them having a boyfriend, or girlfriend.

**Present Time.. Jacob, 18. Bella, 18.**

_Hey Dad! It's Me. I really need to talk to you about something, so please, please, please, call me back before you call Mom. Thank you, I love you and miss you!_

That was Bella's message on the answering machine when I got home from the station. I couldn't help but smile as fond memories of my daughter flooded into my mind. She's grown up so much. Unfortunately I haven't seen much of her the last two years, but she was able to come down last summer. I remember it like it was yesterday. She wouldn't stop talking about her school, friends, and well…Jacob.

With all thoughts aside, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed hers.

"Dad!"

"Hey Bells. What's the big rush?" I asked. I could tell that she was hesitating, which only made me worry and hope that nothing was wrong.

"Can I move in with you?" She finally asked. I was silent for a minute, completely surprised at what she had just asked me. She wanted to move home? What was I thinking? Say yes!

"Well…yeah, of course you are more than welcome to move in. What brought this on Bells?" I asked her, hearing her returned sigh.

"A lot of things dad. I can't tell you everything now. But part of it is because Mom and Phil are moving to Jacksonville, and I don't want to go. Just please, dad…I need to be out of here now. I need to come home." She said. I could hear the panic in her voice.

"Okay, okay, does your mom know?" I asked. She said yes.

"Well, alright. I'll buy you a ticket, first thing for tomorrow morning. But Bells, you need to tell me what else is happening. I need to know if everything is alright." I hoped no one hurt her. The worst things were running through my mind.

"I promise dad, I will tell you. I just need to get out of here. Everything will be okay. Thank you so much. I will see you tomorrow."

"Alright Bells, I'll text you your flight number." I told her, and we said our goodbyes. I immediately got onto the computer and found a flight. It was early, at 6:30 am, but it was the earliest they had until noon. I booked her flight, and texted her the information. I didn't know whether to be extremely happy, or extremely worried. So I decided to take this opportunity to see Billy and Jacob.

"Charlie! How's it going?" Jacob said when I pulled up. We shook hands, and boy…was he tall now! I laughed.

"Pretty good Jacob. Where's your dad? I need to talk to you both." I said, and he led me inside, a worried expression on his face. Him and Bella haven't talked really at all since she left last summer. I wondered if maybe one of the reasons she was coming back was because of Jacob.

"Charlie! What brings you here?" Billy said, wheeling himself into the living room. I sat down on the couch with Jacob, looking at them both with a serious expression.

"Guys, Bella is coming home. Tomorrow." I said. Jake dropped the wrench he was holding and looked at me in shock while Billy, with his calm exterior, just waited for an explanation.

"I don't know the full story other than part of it is because her mom and step dad are moving to Florida. I know there is a lot more to it, but she wouldn't say." I told them. Jacob looked upset, and that surprised me.

"Jacob, what's wrong son?" I asked him. He looked up at me.

"It was probably that boyfriend of hers…." He mumbled, clearly not happy with some situation.

"Her what? She had a boyfriend?" I asked, surprised. He nodded.

"We exchanged emails a couple times after last summer. She had gotten a boyfriend, but at one point things weren't going so well between them. Then she stopped writing, stopped calling, and wouldn't answer me." He said, looking away. I could see how hurt he was by this, and it pained me to see him this way.

"I had no idea she even had a boyfriend…Jacob, why didn't you say anything to me?" I asked him calmly, but I could feel my temper beginning to flare. I sure hope this guy didn't do anything to my baby girl.

"I didn't think about it, and I thought you knew." He said, seemingly surprised at my lack of information.

"Well, alright then. Want to go with me to pick her up tomorrow? Her plane lands at ten am." I asked Jacob. He nodded then excused himself for the evening, probably heading to the garage to work on another project of some sorts.

"Did you tell Bella about Jake's decision?" Billy finally asked me. I knew exactly what he was talking about. He wanted to know if I had told Bella that Jacob was joining the Marines soon. Jacob made the decision after they had both graduated, but he hadn't completely told Bella about it. My guess, is that he couldn't tell her because of her boyfriend...

"No, I didn't. I think that is Jake's place to tell her. I just hope he doesn't hate her for not keeping in touch." I said, sighing.

"So much for our two babies becoming a great couple, eh?" Billy said, laughing. I laughed along with him, and we chatted a bit until I was tired and needed some sleep. I said goodbye, then walked out to Jacob's garage, where he was working on a pair of motorcycles. He looked up at me.

"Hey Charlie." He said.

"Jacob, are you alright?" I asked him, sitting on a bench he had in the garage. He put down his tools and looked at me.

"You know Charlie, I don't know. I'm worried. I don't know what was going on with Bella, and if I find out that her boyfriend, or whatever he is, hurt her….then I'm gonna be mad. I've missed her so much. I've been waiting for the right time for us to be together. You know how I feel Charlie. But me joining the Marines is gonna be a test, in a way. I guess..we'll just see how things go." He told me, and I agreed. I left shortly after, and went home. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

[Jacob POV]

After Charlie left, I put my tools away and went inside the house. My dad had already gone to bed for the evening, so I cleaned up and went into my room. I turned on my laptop and checked my email. I was very surprised when I received one from Bella. Instead of just trashing it like I thought about, I opened it.

_**Jacob-**_

_**Jacob, I am so sorry. I cannot even tell you what has happened since I left six months ago. I hope you give me a chance to talk to you. I miss you. I miss my best friend. I miss us. I'm coming home, for good, hopefully. Be there tomorrow. **_

_**Always, Bella.**_

It was nearly midnight now, and I wrote a quick reply:

_**Bells,**_

_**I've missed you too. We really need to talk when you get home. See you tomorrow. **_

_**Jake.**_

Not even five minutes later, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I said.

"Jake?" Said the person on the other line. I smiled at her voice, but she sounded sad, and panicked.

"Bells? Are you okay?" I asked, starting to get worried.

"Oh Jake! I've missed you. I need you so bad right now. I can't explain. So many things have happened since last summer…I just needed to hear your voice. Will you be there tomorrow? I could use the support." She asked.

"Of course. Bella, tell me what's wrong." I demanded calmly.

"I can't. He'll know. I promise, tomorrow I will tell you everything, but I need to go. Don't call me, I'm going to trash my phone." She said, the last in a hushed whisper. We said goodbye and I put my phone down. I sighed and looked at my bulletin board above my desk. There, all pinned up to the board, was a ton of pictures of us, from kids to last summer. Next to it hung my second set of dog tags, and my acceptance letter into the U.S. Marines. I would be leaving for boot camp in July, so six months from now. Until then, I'd work on cars in the garage, do wood sculptures with my dad, and just be a teenager.

I missed Bella, a lot. Everyone else did too. All of my friends, our friends, missed her a bunch. None of them had really heard from her either. I was worried about what really happened with her. I guess I would find out tomorrow. I crawled onto my bed and looked up at the ceiling.

I never had a girlfriend, because in the back of my mind I always compared the girls I met to Bella. Even when we were younger. I remembered the day she left like it was yesterday. We were only twelve years old.

**6 years ago…**

Bella came over with Charlie; She was moving, and she was going to say goodbye to me. I had been a mess all day, ever since my dad told me. Sure, I was young, but Bella was my best friend. When they got here, I ran outside and up to her, and I took her into the backyard with me. We sat down on the wood log that was sitting by a tree near the woods.

"Bells…I don't want you to move." I said, looking down. It was really hard for me to try to not cry.

"I don't wanna either, Jake." She said, putting her head on my shoulder. We sat there for a bit.

"I'm gonna miss you Jake, you're my best friend in the whole world." She told me quietly. I smiled and put an arm around her, hugging her close.

"I'll miss you to Bells. I promise, nothing will come between us. We'll be best friends forever." I told her. She leaned up and kissed my cheek, and it made me blush. I returned the kiss on the cheek and we walked inside, hand in hand.

**Present…**

She visited every summer, and most holidays. But last summer…everything changed. After graduation, she had come home to visit. My feelings had started to develop for her…but I had also already made my decision to go into the Marines. So I did nothing about my feelings. Sure, I had a whole year until I left for boot camp…but she would still be in Phoenix. We still spent every day together, with all of our friends.

After she left, we kept in touch a couple times, but not nearly as much as we use to. I knew things were changing. She was going to do a semester at the community college there, to figure out a major. The next time she wrote, a couple weeks later, she told me about the guy she met at a bookstore, and how he asked her out. A couple days later, they were a couple. I didn't know much about him, but I wasn't that happy. I waited for her, and I hoped she was doing the same for me, but it seemed that I was wrong. She seemed to like him, so I was reserved with my flirting. Then her emails came less frequent, until I got one that made my skin boil. They had been arguing a lot, and he would call her names. He got really possessive and jealous about her friends and anyone she talked to. She told me he had checked her email and phone messages regularly. Then once I wrote her back, I never heard back from her. No phone calls, no emails….nothing. Charlie would tell me when he spoke with her, but he never mentioned her boyfriend. I wondered if he knew, but now I know that he had no idea.

I ended up falling asleep and dreaming of Bella. Times of peace and happiness, before she left. I even dreamt of her summers out here.

I couldn't wait to see her again.

When I woke up the next morning, I got up and trimmed my already-short hair. It was looking a little shaggy so I touched it up. I jumped in the shower and scrubbed my entire body twice, with some axe shower gel my dad got me. I laughed, because he always wanted me to get with girls. I washed my hair too, then jumped out and wrapped a towel around my waist. I walked into my room and looked in my closet. I pulled out a white muscle t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. I put on some converse and grabbed my black hoodie. After I was done, I went into the kitchen and made some breakfast for my Dad, put it in the refrigerator for when he woke up, left him a note, and went into Port Angeles.

The drive was fast, since my car has gotten some upgrades over the last year. I went to the desired store and parked in front. It was one of Bella's favorite bookstores. They had everything she likes to read. I figured I would get her a couple welcome home presents. I walked inside and the lady recognized me.

"Jacob Black, it's been a while since I've seen you here. Bella coming home soon?" The lady asked. I smiled and nodded.

"Yep, but she'll be here to stay;she's moving in with Charlie." I said.

"Well that's great! You know, you should tell her we're looking for some help around here. Maybe if she wants the job?" She suggested, and I nodded.

I ended up picking up a journal, a couple books of different genres, and Clara, the lady that works there, through in a muffin for Bella and a coffee for me. I've been slightly addicted to caffeine lately. I finished my latte after on my way home. When I got there, my dad had left a note on the table. He was at Harry's. It was about eleven, so I went into the garage to do some wood work, since I wasn't in the right clothes to work on the car. It was Sue Clearwater's car. It still needed and oil change and washing, but other than that, I had finished everything.

I looked over the almost-finished pieces, and picked one up. It was of a big wolf. There were only a few edges left to fix, then it would be nearly finished, besides polishing. So I finished up the edges, and moved onto the next. After about four of them were complete, and ready for polishing, I looked at the clock. It was time to go get Charlie and pick up Bella. I sighed, unsure of what was going to happen, and walked off to my car. I cleaned out the back seat and made sure there was room in the trunk for whatever Bella brought with her, which hopefully wasn't much. Maybe she had her stuff shipped over. Who knows? So I drove over to Charlie's and picked him up. We didn't want to take the cruiser since it would be a little flashy.

We made the drive up to Seattle in about an hour and a half, just after her plane landed. When we walked into the airport, I couldn't help but notice this beautiful girl standing at the coffee bar, a hot beverage in hand. In a pair of jeans, uggs, and a white long sleeved shirt, the girl nearly matched me. She looked up and right into my eyes, then smiled.

It was Bella.

**A/N: Hey all! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. As I stated in my beginning authors note, this is a re-write of a story I wrote a few years ago. If you remember the old version, I hope you like this one better! **

**NerdyWriter12**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all of the favorites and follows from the first chapter! Hope you enjoy!**

**To Become a Marine  
Chapter 2: Welcome Home!**

There she was, smiling so brightly at me. I couldn't stop staring at her. That is, until she dropped her bags and ran right up to me, jumping into my arms. I grabbed onto her legs when she put them around my waist, and I spun her around in a circle. She laughed when I put her back down.

"Hi." She said, looking up at me. Wow, was she beautiful! I smiled back at her.

"Hey." I said, while Charlie finally cleared his throat.

"What? No hug for your old man?" He said, holding his arms out. She hugged him tight.

"I missed you daddy." She said, making him blush a bit.

"I missed you too, Bells." He said, and we went back to grab her luggage before we all walked off to my car.

The drive to Charlie's was kind of quiet, and I noticed that Charlie had dozed off in the back seat. Bella was looking out her window quietly from my passenger side. She seemed so deep in thought, so I didn't want to disturb her. A million thoughts were running through my own head at the same time. Thoughts of her, what her boyfriend could have possibly done, going to boot camp, telling her I'm going to be a Marine soldier, and all this other stuff. I sighed, which ended up being louder than I thought, and she looked at me.

"You okay, Jake?" She asked me, with a worried look on her precious face. I smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine Bells, just thinking about stuff." I said. She reached over, grabbing my hand and holding it within her own. I gave her hand a squeeze and she smiled back.

"Alright." She said, and looked to the road ahead of us.

Minutes later, we were back in good ol' Forks. I pulled into Charlie's driveway, and he woke up.

"Home already?" He asked, and Bella and I just laughed. We got out of the car and grabbed her bags, taking them inside. I grabbed her welcome home present too. The muffin was nicely wrapped in the present bag next to her journal and books. Once we got everything inside, I helped Bella carry everything up to her old room. There wasn't much.

"Did you ship your other stuff?" I asked her, setting her smaller suitcase on her bed.

"Yeah, everything should be here tomorrow. My mom said she was going to ship it out as soon as she woke up this morning." She told me, grabbing some things and putting them in her closet. I walked over to her, and grabbed her by the shoulders, and sat her down on the bed.

"Jake? What's wrong?" She asked, looking a little scared and worried at the same time. I wondered….did she think I was going to hurt her? I hope not, I'd never do that to her.

"Nothing's wrong Bells. I wanted to give you something." I said, smiling.

"Close your eyes." I said. She covered her eyes, and laughed.

"Can I open them?" She asked. She is so impatient.

"Not yet." I said, getting her present out from around her other suitcases.

"Now?" She asked, giggling.

"Yeah, open your eyes!" I said. When she did, her eyes went wide.

"Jacob, you didn't have to get me anything." She said, taking the bag from my hands.

"I wanted to. I missed you." I said. So she nodded, and opened the bag. She smiled brightly when she saw the books, and the journal. She even laughed when she saw the blueberry muffin.

"Thank you, Jake." She said, standing up to hug me. I hugged her back, tightly.

"I really missed you, Jake." She whispered.

"I really missed you too Bells." I said, and she held onto me a bit longer before pulling away. My phone rang, so she went to put more stuff away while I answered my phone in the hall.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Jake buddy! Bella home yet?" It was Embry. Embry and Bella were like brother and sister when she was here. Same with Quil. Of course, Quil always had the smallest crush on her, but who could blame him?

"Yeah we just got to her house, what's going on?" I asked him.

"Well the group decided we should have a bonfire tonight, to welcome Bella back home where she belongs. You in?" Embry asked me. I laughed.

"Sure thing, Em. What time?" I asked.

"Nine o'clock." He said. I agreed, and we hung up shortly after. I walked back into her room, and she had an amused look on her face.

"What's so funny?" I asked her. She just shook her head.

"Well, the group is doing a bonfire tonight. Do you want to go?" I asked her, sitting next to her on her bed.

"Sure! I'd love to see everyone again. What time?" She asked me. I told her it was at nine, so we had some time before hand. She agreed, and started putting more stuff away, walking into the bathroom. I saw an old shoebox sticking out from her suitcase, so I pulled it out and opened it. There were all the same pictures I had up on my wall, and even more I had no idea had been taken. I came across a small pink wildflower inside a wrap of plastic. I couldn't help but smile, remembering when I gave it to her.

**Last Summer…**

It was just a day before she was leaving me, again. I hated it when she left. That meant a whole other year before she came back. I sighed, sitting by the rocks on the beach, down at my reservation. She was supposed to meet me here. I was going to tell her I loved her, but I wasn't sure yet. If I told her that, then she might stay, but I would also have to tell her about my decision. I didn't know what hurt more. I sighed, holding the small flower in my hand. It was a perfect wildflower. Pink, with a yellow center. I heard someone approaching so I looked behind me. There she was, clad in jeans, rain boots, and a long sleeve shirt. She looked so cute. I laughed as she trudged through the damp sand.

"What's so funny, Black?" She asked, taking a seat next to me.

"Nothing, nothing. Just watching you walk through the sand." I said, laughing. She smacked my arm playfully. We sat there in silence for a bit. We normally did that. It was nice, to just enjoy the silence together. No words were ever needed. Before much longer, we both got up to leave. She looked at me, turning her whole body towards me. I brushed back some hair behind her ear, putting the wildflower behind her ear as well. She smiled and hugged me tight.

"I'll see you soon." She had told me.

"I'll miss you until then." I said, and we parted our ways.

**Present…**

"I take that with me everywhere." She said. I jumped at the sound of her voice, and looked up at her, smiling. She was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed, leaning against the wood. She walked over to me and sat down.

"Every memory, every picture, everything is in that box. There are so many times that this box has helped me get through something tough. Like when I'm stuck in the shadows….you're the sun that brings me back to life." She said.

"So I'm your own personal sun?" I asked, and she smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so." She said. I smiled right back at her. I wanted to kiss her so bad, and that's exactly what I did. She looked over to me, and I placed a hand on her cheek. She leaned into my hand and I pulled her closer to me. I touched my lips to hers softly, and was overjoyed when I felt her lips respond. It was a soft kiss, but passionate, and not sloppy or tongue-filled. We enjoyed tasting each other's lips for the first time. When I pulled away, we were both out of breath, and blushing.

"Wow." That was all she said.

"You can say that again." I whispered. She laughed and leaned her head against my shoulder. I wanted to know what was going through her head, but we had a party to get ready for. So I patted her thigh, and stood up, bringing her with me. We locked eyes for a moment, and she leaned upward, kissing my cheek. Surprisingly, it made me blush.

"Let's get ready to go." She said, pushing me out of her room so she could get dressed. I laughed and walked downstairs. I sat by Charlie on the couch. There was a Mariner's game on.

"Is she alright?" Charlie asked me. I looked over to him.

"She didn't really tell me anything about back home, but maybe she will tonight. The group is throwing her a welcome home bonfire. Mind if she goes?" I asked him. He smiled and nodded.

"Of course she can go, Jake. It'll be good for her." Charlie said, then he resumed watching the game. I smiled to myself, and waited for her to come downstairs.

After twenty minutes, a little snack shopping, and the drive down to the Reservation, we made it to the house. We walked inside, and Billy welcomed Bella back.

"Bella! So good to see you! Glad to be home?" He asked her. She smiled and gave him a hug.

"Yeah I am happy to be back. How are you Billy?" She asked.

"Ah, good. Just living and dealing with Jake here." He said with a laugh. I gave him the eye, not wanting him to mention me leaving. I would have to talk to her about that later. We said goodbye and headed down to the beach, where I was sure everyone would be plenty happy to see her. We walked down there in silence. I was thinking about that kiss, and I'm pretty sure she was thinking the same. We'd keep catching each other looking at the other, and we'd blush, looking away.

Finally we reached the huge bonfire. The first person to see us was Embry, and he ran over to us, picking up Bella and spinning her around in circles.

"Bella! I've missed you!" He said, setting her on her feet. She laughed.

"Hi Embry, I've missed you too!" She said, hugging him again. Just then, Quil ran over and did the exact same thing.

"Hey Quil." Bella said once she was down on her feet. She grabbed a hold of my arm, I guess she had gotten a little dizzy. We all laughed and headed over to the fire. Everyone was so excited to see her. Leah and Sam said hi, and hugged Bella. Paul, Jared and Seth all said hi, sitting around the fire next to Quil and Embry. I pulled Bella down next to me, because I figured right between my legs would be a little too much right now. Emily, Leah's cousin, and Kim came over to say hi, then everyone got to chatting happily and telling stories, and reliving the past. Bella told a few embarrassing stories about us from past summers, and everyone laughed.

After a while, it was quite obvious everyone was getting tired. Slowly, people started saying their goodbyes and giving last-minute welcome homes to Bella. Sooner or later Bella and I found ourselves alone on the beach, sitting by the warm fire. She was snuggled into my side, until she sat up and turned to face me. I looked at her and smiled; the fire light made her look absolutely beautiful. She smiled back, then her face changed.

"Jacob, I am so sorry." She said to me. I looked at her in question, wondering what in the world she could possibly be sorry for.

"Bells, what are you sorry for?" I asked her. She looked down.

"For never writing back, for stopping all the calls…for everything after I left last summer. I missed you so much, and I wanted to talk to you so badly….but I couldn't." She said, looking away. I pulled her chin lightly to look towards me.

"Bella, it's okay. We'll move on. You're here now, and that's all that matters. I won't let you go that easily this time." I said. She blushed and smiled.

"It's getting late…" She trailed off, when I reached up, pulling her head down towards me, and kissed her lips lightly. I waited for her to respond before I intensified the kiss a bit, putting my hand in her hair, and her hand went on my shoulder. I pulled away before too much time passed, leaving both of us a little breathless. She blushed and giggled, resting her head on my shoulder for a minute. I couldn't help but want to kiss her again, but I held back.

We got up and put out the fire, and I pulled out the flashlight I had with me. We walked the short distance to my house and got into my car. The drive was quiet; I noticed she had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. When we got to her house, I saw Charlie looking out of the window when I pulled her out of the car. He opened the door as I walked up the steps, and smiled when he saw her curl up against my chest.

"She missed you huh?" He whispered to me. I nodded.

"Yeah, she did." I said.

"Go ahead and take her on up. You can stay the night if you want, but no funny business and keep the door open." He said. I was surprised, but readily agreed and took Bella upstairs. I pulled off her shoes, and her jeans, and put some of her sleep pants on her. I stripped down to my boxers and tank top, and climbed into bed next to her, and tucked her in around me. She snuggled into my chest, so I smiled and kissed the top of her head, and we both fell into a comfortable sleep.

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading! I hope you like it so far… please review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everyone! Wow, I am so thankful to everyone who has reviewed this story so far! I'm very glad to see how many of you love the idea so far, and I am very appreciative of that. Please, enjoy this chapter and review! :)**

**To Become a Marine  
Chapter 3- The truth?  
**

**[Bella POV]**

I sighed; I was content. I had fallen asleep with Jacob, and woke up about twenty minutes ago, in Jacob's arms. I was in my room, and the door was open. That means my dad knew, and he was alright with it. I was sure I would hear about it later. Right now, I just wanted to stay in this spot forever. Jacob was bare-chested, and I could feel the contours of his muscles flex against my cheek as he breathed in and out. He was still very much asleep. I curled in closer to him, and he tightened his arm around me. I giggled lightly, hoping not to wake him up, but it still made him stir. I looked up at him hesitantly and smiled when I saw him looking at me out of one open eye.

"Morning." I said.

"Morning Beautiful." He whispered back. I blushed, a deep red, which made him laugh at me a bit before I sat up. He turned, and put his hands behind his head. I looked back at him and smiled.

"Are you hungry?" I asked him. He nodded and I was just about to get out of bed when he pulled me down to him again. I laughed.

"Jacob! I thought you were hungry?" I asked him.

"I am. But I wanted to say something." He said. I looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"We need to talk, about a lot of things today. Are you okay with that?" He asked me. I nodded. I knew there was a lot I had to tell him. There were probably things he had to tell me, too. I was mentally freaking out, but I didn't let it show.

"After breakfast, we'll go get some coffee at Starbucks and go to a park. We can relax and talk about stuff." Jacob said.

"Alright, Jacob." I said, nodding lightly. He smiled and kissed my forehead before releasing his hold on me. I smiled right back at him, and kissed his cheek before getting up and walking into the bathroom. I fixed my hair and brushed my teeth, then headed downstairs. My Dad was sitting at the kitchen table, ready to leave for work. I was scared about what he might say about Jacob spending the night.

"Hi Dad." I said, walking into the kitchen.

"Hey Bells. You're up early." He said to me. I smiled.

"Yeah I had a good night sleep. Off to work?" I asked him and He nodded.

"Yup, just got to finish my coffee then head on over to the station. What are your plans for today?" He asked me. I raised my eyebrows at his curiosity, but told him anyway.

"Well, Jacob and I are going to a park after breakfast. Other than that…I'm not sure. Are you hungry?" I asked, pulling out a pan, some eggs, and bacon.

"Ah, no thanks Bells. I really got to get to work. Enjoy yourselves, but don't get into trouble." My dad said as he got up to leave. I heard his cruiser leave the driveway as I cleaned his coffee mug and started on our breakfast. I felt a pair of strong, warm arms circle around my waist from behind and I smiled, leaning back into Jacob's body for a minute.

"Bacon and eggs?" Jake asked. I nodded. He moved and got out two glasses, and filled each with some orange juice, then pulled out some bread and threw a couple slices into the toaster. I smiled while watching him. He was a God. I looked away and blushed when he caught me staring. He chuckled.

"Bella, it's alright. Stare all you want." He said, and caught the toast as it popped out of the toaster. I put our eggs and bacon on two plates while he put butter and jelly on the toast. It was really nice to do this with him. I sighed to myself, because I knew that this was too good to be true. After what I was going to tell him…I was almost completely positive that he wouldn't want to be with me.

We ate breakfast in silence. It wasn't a bad silence, and it wasn't awkward either. It was…peaceful. We would look up from our plates and smile at each other, and occasionally blushing since we literally would catch each other looking at the other. After breakfast, I went upstairs to get dressed while he waited and watched TV. I put on some jeans, and a short sleeved white tee. I threw on my converse and put on some cover up, then headed out. When I got downstairs, Jacob was sitting on the couch watching some reality show.

"You ready to go?" I asked him nervously. He smiled and nodded, then turned off the TV. He followed me outside and walked to his car while I locked the door. I followed him and got into the passenger seat. He had the music on low and we went downtown. He held my hand as we drove, and I relished in his warmth. When we got to the coffee shop, he helped me out of the car and we walked in. I was really nervous.

Jacob ordered me a venti hazelnut latte, and a chai latte for himself. After our drinks were ready, we walked down the street to the park and sat down on a bench.

"Okay…you first." We both said at the same time. We laughed.

"Go ahead." Jacob told me. I sighed.

"Okay. What would you like to know?" I asked him.

"Well…why did you come back home?" He asked. I thought he knew that already.

"I told you Jake…I just needed to come home. I missed everyone. I couldn't stand waiting another year or whatever to-" I got cut off.

"No Bella…I meant, why did you _really_ come home? I know you are afraid of something. There are things you haven't told me yet, and I really want to know what happened while you were gone…why you weren't returning my calls….why you stopped writing me back. Is it because of what I said about your boyfriend? Or ex?" He asked me. I looked away and took a sip of my coffee.

"That's exactly why, Jacob." I said. He looked surprised.

"Did I make you that angry?" He asked, his voice in a lower tone now. I looked at him, and he was looking away from me.

"No Jacob…not me. Him. He came over one night, and my Mom was gone, out with Phil. While I was showering he went through my things…like my email, phone…everything. Including my journal. He saw the emails…and how much you cared about me and what was going on…and he read what you said about him. He flipped out. That was just the first time." I said, taking a drink of my latte. He looked at me.

"The first time he did what?" He asked.

"The first time he hurt me. He didn't hit me, but he pulled my hair and pushed me up against the wall. He threatened to do much worse if I kept talking to you. He said that you were a bad friend if you didn't support our relationship. I couldn't stop crying. He left, and after that…things started getting worse. He deleted your number from my phone, blocked your email, and so much more. I couldn't call you, because he had found a way to block my phone from calling out. He checked all my stuff regularly. Anytime I'd mention you, write about you, or even think about you…he'd hurt me. It got worse and worse. I started to get my mom to do things with me more often so he couldn't be around as much, but he always found ways around it. I'd had enough one day and I broke up with him for good. I wouldn't answer his calls, emails, and wouldn't let him inside the house. I'd find gifts by the door in the morning when I'd leave. That's when I decided to call my Dad and move home. After I called you that night, I broke my phone because I knew Edward could trace the calls if he wanted, and he could find out where I went. That's how obsessed he is…or was. I haven't heard from him since I came back, but it's only been a few days." I said. Jacob was looking at me strangely.

"Bella…you should've told someone…you should've gotten help." He said. I nodded, tears welling in my eyes. He understood and put an arm around me. I was strong, but a few tears slid past. I sighed, shaking from the left over fear of the torment I went through.

"It's alright Bells. You're home, and safe now. He can't hurt you. I promise." He told me, and I smiled back.

"Thank you Jake." He nodded, but then his face got serious again.

"Jake? What did you want to tell me?" I asked. He stiffened a bit, and leaned forward, putting his hands on his head. I rubbed his back lightly.

"You can tell me Jake, it's okay." I said, and he looked back up to me.

**[Jacob POV]**

"Bells…I joined the Marines." I said. She looked at me like she was in shock. She sat there…just staring at me for a good ten minutes. I thought she might faint, or yell at me, or something.

"You what?" She asked, in total disbelief.

"Bells…I joined the Marines. I leave for boot camp in three months." I said. Her eyes widened even more than I thought possible.

"Why didn't you tell me? When did this happen?" She asked, starting to panic.

"Bella, don't panic please. I decided last summer. I was going to tell you, but I forgot because I was having so much fun with you that summer. We were inseparable, as always. There was so much I was going to tell you that summer, but I didn't. Then… after you left, you stopped calling, talking, everything…and I couldn't tell you even if I tried." I said, hanging my head down low. She did the most unexpected thing when she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me. I turned my body towards hers and hugged her back tightly. When she released her grip, there were tears in her eyes. I cupped her cheek in my hand.

"Please don't cry. Boot camp is three months away and I'll only be gone for six weeks." I said, wiping away a single tear that fell. She nodded.

"Well until then, let's make the most of our time together." She said. I smiled and leaned forward, pressing my lips to her forehead.

We decided to stay in the park a little longer, walking and talking about virtually anything. Her Mom and Phil, what she wants to do now that she's home, and more. After we walked some more in the park, and got another round of coffee, we headed back to her house. There was little tension in the air, but you could still feel it. We got inside and went into the kitchen, but it seemed like she just didn't want to talk anymore.

"Do you want some lunch Bells?" I asked her. She shook her head, not talking to me.

"Bells, we have to talk eventually. I'm sorry it took so long for me to tell you…but please don't be like this. I want to be able to talk to you about things like this." I said to her. She looked up at me, and the tears were in her eyes. I walked up to her and pulled her into a hug, and she let herself cry. She let it all out of her system. I held her, and she cuddled into me. I picked her up and walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, with her on my lap. I pushed some hair away from her face.

"Can we please talk?" I asked. She nodded then started talking.

"I don't want you to leave. I just got back, and we kissed…and I have no idea what to do about anything." She said, wiping her eyes. She looked so cute, like a little girl who lost a Barbie doll or something.

"I know Bella. I'm sorry everything is happening at once. But let's take one thing at a time, yes?" I asked. She smiled and nodded.

"So, first of all, you're home. You're staying here and not going anywhere. I don't know if Edward is going to try to contact you at all, but hopefully not. If he does, we will cross that path when we get to it. Alright?" She nodded, so I continued.

"Second, I know you don't want me to leave, but this was a choice I made almost a year ago. I won't be gone for long, and I'll be home right after. I'm not exactly sure where I'll be stationed yet but I'm almost ninety-nine percent sure it will be close to here. You can come visit, and I'll come home every weekend." I said. She frowned, but nodded. I knew this was hard for her, considering we've never been apart over the summer.

"So…what else?" She asked, blushing a bit. I knew what she was thinking about. Our kiss.

"Well, Bella…I have feelings for you. I really do. I always have in some way. That kiss was amazing, and made me only want more, and want to be with you more. I understand if you don't feel as strongly about me…" I was silenced when she kissed me. It was a sweet, innocent kiss. I enjoyed the feel of her lips on mine. She put her hand on my neck, and I did the same, putting one arm around her waist. The kiss got deeper, more sensual. Her tongue traced my bottom lip, and I gave her entrance. Our tongues battled it out for dominance lightly, but it was incredible.

We broke for air moments later, and she rested her forehead against mine.

"I feel the same way, Jake. I want to be with you too." She told me, and that made me so happy. I kissed her again lightly and stood up, putting her on her feet. She hugged me, and I hugged her back. I was literally ecstatic, but I didn't show it as much.

"Well let's go get some lunch." I said.

"Okay, want me to make something?" She asked me. I shook my head no.

"Let's go to my house and I'll make us something to eat." I said.

"You? Jacob Black…cooking?" She asked, trying very hard not to laugh. Finally she burst out laughing, clutching her stomach and damn near falling on the floor. I started laughing at her, for laughing at me, until we both calmed down and made our way outside to my car. I let her into the passenger seat and went around to get into my seat.

"It's not that funny Bells, I can cook." I told her. She giggled and nodded in response, which only made me smile. I'll show her eventually.

I ended up surprising her and driving out to Port Angeles for lunch. She was very surprised and happy too. I took her to a small Italian Restaurant in downtown Port Angeles and she loved it. We both ate quite a good meal, and I stopped her when she took out her wallet.

"No, Bells, it's my treat." I told her, and she looked at me.

"Are you sure Jake? I don't mind." She said. I shook my head and pulled out my wallet. I handed the waitress my visa card and the bill, which she readily took. Bella smiled at me, and I smiled back. She didn't know how I made money.

"So, you've never mentioned it, but do you have a job Jake?" She asked, while the waitress brought back my card and receipt.

"Yeah, well…kind of. When I'm not busy helping around the reservation I work at the auto shop. But I also got a pretty generous amount of cash from the government when I signed up for the Marines. Its rare that guys from the reservation sign on, which actually gives us a 30% bonus." I said, admitting it to her. She just watched me.

"What?" I asked. She smiled.

"Nothing. You just don't seem to flaunt your money around like other people. That's a good thing." She said. I smiled back at her and we got up from the table.

We decided to just take our time getting back home, enjoying our company and walking around downtown. Every time Bella saw something she liked, I'd make a mental note of it; or if she was going to buy it, id sneak around and pay for it.

"Jacob!" She'd whine each time I'd sneak around her. I'd just laugh and she'd give me that look. Finally after about twenty shops, plenty of whining, and delicious food, I took her home. Her dad was home, but we said goodnight outside. I gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek before leaving. She blushed.

"Goodnight Jacob."

"Goodnight, Bella."

**A/N: Sooo how was that? A little fluff mixed in with the news of Edward being her lunatic ex boyfriend? Hope you all enjoyed! Review please! :D Make sure to follow me on twitter legionladyerin :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Finals are kicking my butt right now, amongst other things, so I haven't had a chance to update, but here you go! Thank you for reading!**

To Become a Marine  
Chapter 4

**3 Months until Boot camp….  
**[Jacob POV]

To be quite honest, I was pissed. I never showed it, or told Bella how angry I was. Why was I pissed? Because her now-ex boyfriend had hurt her, and there was nothing she could do about it really. She got hurt. Just the fact that he let her get hurt, and even more by his own hand, was enough to make me go ballistic.

Good thing he isn't here though, because he'd be dead. Sure, I'd be out of the Marines, and in Jail for killing him, but at this point I didn't care. But for Bella, I stayed sane. She doesn't need to see me angry. So I took it out on the boxing equipment in my garage.

What worried me though, was the fact that I was leaving in three months. After those three months, I'll be gone for three months. During those three months that I'm away, who knows what could happen. I'd have to make sure the guys would look out for her. I wondered if Edward knew where I lived, where her dad lived. I hoped not, but it isn't hard to find out. I sighed, looking out my window of my room. This was a bad time for me to be leaving, but I had to go. I just got her back, and it feels like I could lose her again, at any moment.

I lie back on my bed, and just stare at my ceiling. At that point, right there, I vowed to make the best out of the next three months with her, and never, ever, let her down.

The next week, we had so much fun. I took her around Port Angeles, and Seattle. We saw movies, went out to a comedy club, and even out to dinner a few times. It was always a struggle with her about paying for things, but I always got her to cave in and let me pay. I'd never let her pay for anything as long as I'm with her.

We also spent time with the group, minus Leah really. Leah and Bella never really got along, which is something I wanted to change. Bella needed more friends around here, and that's exactly what I decided to do for her on Saturday. I decided to call the girls of the group Friday night, after Bella and I went home, including Kim, Leah, Emily, and Claire. I told them that Bella needed a girl's day out, and they all agreed to a spa day, all paid for by me and the guys. The guys agreed pretty fast, because that meant we could have a guy's day.

So I called the spa in Port Angeles and set the appointment for an all day spa treatment. It was a pretty expensive day, but with all of us guys paying for it, it wasn't hard. The girls would have to be there at eight in the morning, and wouldn't be done until nearly eight at night. So I called Leah and told her to have the girls meet up at seven forty-five inside the spa, and I would bring Bella. She agreed, and I went to sleep happily.

That morning, I was up at six. I went out into the garage and worked out, focusing on my back and legs today. Finally around seven, I drove over to Bella's house. I knew she would be asleep, so I took out my cell phone and called her.

"Hello?" She said, obviously still half asleep.

"Morning, Bells. Get out of bed and look out the window." I said. I heard her shuffle the phone around and get out of bed. At the same time I got out of my car and walked around to her window. I saw her look out the window and I waved. She put her phone down, opened the window and smiled, leaning against the opening.

"You do realize it's seven in the morning, right Jacob?" She asked me, and I laughed.

"Yes, Bells, I do. But you have to get dressed and get down here in two minutes. I have a surprise for you." I told her.

"This early? What kind of surprise is it?" She asked me again. I shook my head.

"You'll see. Come on." I said. She nodded and closed her window, so I walked back over to my car and got into the driver's seat. Exactly two minutes later she came outside and locked her front door. She walked up to the car and got in, yawning. I just chuckled.

"So where are we going?" Bella questioned me. I looked at her.

"No interrogations. It's a surprise. Sleep on the way there if you want." I said, smiling after. She smiled back to me and moved her seat backward so she could sleep comfortably. When I knew she was asleep, I reached over and put my jacket on her to keep her warm. The drive to Port Angeles was somewhat boring, considering Bella was asleep. But when I showed up to the spa, I saw the girls walking up from their cars. I waved them over and they smiled, walking over to me.

"Is she asleep?" Kim asked. I nodded.

"Go on inside and it'll be a bigger surprise to see all of you at once." I told her. They nodded and went inside. I walked over to the passenger side and opened the door. I shook Bella awake.

"We're here Bells." I said. She opened her eyes and smiled at me.

"Where?" She asked. I laughed.

"Just come on. But close your eyes." I said. I helped her out of the car, with her eyes closed, and walked her inside the spa.

"Gee it's like a sauna in here!" She exclaimed. I just chuckled, and the receptionist nodded, pointing to the room at the far end, where I saw Emily waiting. She motioned us over and pointed inside, to where the girls were all in a hot tub, naked. I gasped lightly, which Bella didn't hear thankfully, and closed my eyes. Emily poked my shoulder and I opened an eye to look at her. She motioned to the tub so I opened both eyes.

"Okay Bells, open your eyes!" I said. She did and she gasped.

"What's all this?" She asked surprised.

"Hey Bella!" Everyone said. She looked at me.

"It's your surprise, an all-girls spa day, courtesy of me and the guys." I said proudly. She smiled so big I thought her jaw would break, and she hugged me. I hugged her back, and she reached up kissing my cheek. I blushed a bit, considering we were in front of all the girls. They laughed, and she blushed when she pulled away. They all shooed me out of the spa so I took an easy drive back home.

[Bella POV]

We shooed Jake out of the spa immediately. Boy, was I surprised; I wasn't expecting a spa day! Emily and I got undressed and walked into the hot tub. It was so relaxing, I loved it. It didn't really bother me to be naked with all of them since we were all girls. We all had different attributes and flaws.

I was sitting between Kim and Emily, when Leah finally broke the silence.

"So, let's talk boys!" Leah said. We all laughed.

"Okay then Leah, you go first. How are things with Sam?" Kim asked. Leah started blushing for a minute and we all laughed. I stayed kind of quiet while they talked about the boys. After about five minutes of soaking, a few women came into the room and started massaging our shoulders, and left about ten minutes later. I think we all forgot what we were talking about after that.

They moved us into a massage room, with tables lined up right next to each other. We each picked one with a different color, and the men came out and massaged us. It felt amazing. They used oils, lotions, and stuff that smelled amazing. They started at our shoulders and made their way down to our calves and feet, doing their best not to tickle us. I was in heaven. They had us roll onto our backs just before some women came in. They gave us facials that exfoliated every pinch of skin on our faces and necks. It was exhilarating.

After our facials, I took a quick bathroom break. My body felt fresh and rejuvenated. I took a little time to look at my phone and text Jacob. It was already noon.

_Hey Jake. :) _I waited a few seconds, and he replied.

_Hi Bells. How's the spa? ;) _

_It's great! Love it. G2g back though. Thanks again! _ I texted him, and walked back into the room where we were getting our facials done. Leah was waiting for me. I smiled when I walked up to her.

"Come on, we're getting waxed now!" She said, pulling me into another room. We were both laughing. I hadn't really gotten along with Leah, but now we were like best friends here. I was like that with all the girls now. It felt really good.

For the next hour or so, we spent it getting waxed. The staff filled our drinks on a regular basis and even provided lunch for us. We had Caesar salad and pasta.

"So, Bella, how is everything with Jacob?" Claire asked me. She was Quil's girlfriend. She was cute, about a year younger than the rest of us, and had light brown hair, with green eyes. She moved down here with Emily's family. They're cousins, though you can't really tell. I smiled at her.

"Things are great, it's really nice to be back home, and Jake and I…well, things are heating up a bit." I said. All the girls laughed and started asking me questions; some of which I could answer, others I wouldn't say. So we all started asking each other various other questions about our relationships, which lasted until we finished our lunches and were dragged into the salon area of the spa to get our manicures and pedicures done.

Of course, me being the insanely tickling type, it was hard for me to sit there and get my pedicure, but boy, did that foot soak, rub and scrub really feel terrific! I decided to go with a coral color for my toes, and she even put white tips and a jewel on my big toes. It looked adorable. All the girls did the same, but in different colors. Emily chose navy blue, Claire chose pink, Leah chose red, and Kim chose green. Then we all did acrylic nails with a line across the bottom of the white, in the color our toes were. We all giggled and chatted happily about colleges, the guys, life, and whatever else we could think of.

Next thing we knew, it was four o'clock and all we had left to do was our hair and makeup. So we walked over to the hair stations and sat by each other. We each decided to do something different to our hair. Leah had amazingly long hair, so she chose to keep the length, but add multiple layers, and give it some slight highlights. Emily had hair that went a little past her shoulders, so she just touched up her black dye and added a few more layers to the top, and changed her bangs. Claire was a natural blonde, but dyed her hair to a medium brown color, and chopped a good six inches off, making her hair about the same length as Emily's. Kim decided to just do layers, and a small trim. She wasn't much of a dye person. Finally, I decided to add layers, dye my hair a dark chocolate brown, do some side-swept bangs, and take a couple inches off the length.

By the times we were all finished, I swear we looked like models. They even did our makeup for us. We all had curls and volume. It wasn't quite eight yet, so we all went into a small clothing boutique next to the spa. We tried on millions of clothes, and each picked out a couple items to wear. Jake should be there any minute to pick me up, but I had a better idea.

"Hey guys. Why don't we get all the guys over here and go see a movie down the street?" I asked. They all nodded and smiled happily, taking out their cell phones and calling the guys. After getting confirmations from all of them we walked outside and I spotted Jake standing by his car waiting for us. I yelled over to him and he looked up, and his eyes went wide.

"Why the long face Jake?" Leah asked, punching him in the shoulder. We all laughed at him.

"You girls look great! How was it?" He asked, primarily looking at me. I blushed, but answered him.

"It was amazing. Thank you." I said, hugging him around the waist.

"Awesome, so you ready to go?" He asked.

"Well…the girls asked all the guys if they wanted to see a movie... want to go?" I asked. He nodded and we all walked down towards the theater. When we got there, the rest of the guys were pulling up in front of the theater. We all met up, and stood there for twenty minutes trying to decide on a movie. We ended up agreeing on a new release, called "Pain & Gain." So we got the tickets, went into the theater and got our popcorn, candy and whatever else we would attempt to fit into our stomachs. The previews were ending as we sat down, and we all enjoyed the movie, snuggled into each other.

After the movie, Jacob drove me home. It was a quiet ride, and we were both tired, but he didn't hesitate to get out of the car, open my door, and walk me up the steps to my house. I turned to face him after I unlocked the door.

"Thank you Jacob, for absolutely everything. I am so happy." I said, hugging him tight around his waist. He held me, and rubbed my back.

"Of course, Bells. I'd do anything for you." He said. I looked up into his eyes, and saw his sincerity in them. Before I knew what was happening, he leaned his head downward and captured my lips in a gentle, but romantic, kiss. I could feel him pour all his love into it. Love? Is that what I'm feeling? I pulled away after a few seconds, and took a breath. His kiss left me breathless, blushing, and full of butterflies. I smiled, and he smiled back at me. He kissed my cheek lightly as I said goodnight to him, and walked into my house, locking the door behind me. I walked upstairs to my room and snuggled under the covers, enjoying the coolness of my sheets. I fell asleep easily.

**A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! If you catch some grammatical errors, please let me know and I will fix them! This last week has had me busy with finals and what not! Please review! Thank you! (You can follow me on twitter at legionladyerin as well!)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey all! Sorry for the delay, I've been busy with articles, conventions, photo shoots and so much more! Thanks for all the faves and follows! You guys rock! Keep in mind that Bella doesn't have the truck in this story right now.**

**To Become a Marine  
Chapter 5- It's time**

****[Jacob POV]

Wow, I cannot believe how fast time has flown. It's been nearly three months, and I will be leaving for boot camp in two weeks. I had to pack, finish paperwork, figure out where they are going to station me, and lastly, figure out how to say bye to Bella. Talk about depressing.

I love her, but I haven't told her those three words yet. I didn't want to say it too soon, and I don't want to say it too late. I know she loves me though, I can hear her in her sleep. She mumbles a lot. It's really funny. When she'd spend the night, I'd wake up to her mumbling something about me, then saying she loves me. God, if only she knew how much I loved her too.

We haven't gotten really physical over the last three months, which is fine with me. I want Bella to take her time and be comfortable whenever we decide to move further with our relationship. I am just happy that we made it official, and that our parents know. My dad was thrilled, but Charlie, he wasn't as thrilled, but you could see the sparkle in his eye. I could remember the talk I had with him a week after we told him…

_I was sitting on my front porch, looking through a mechanics magazine. I heard the cruiser pull up and I waved as Charlie got out of the car._

"_Hey Jake, is your dad home? "He asked me. _

"_Yeah he's in the den watching the game I think." I said. He nodded, and then a stern look crossed his face. I knew that look. I closed my magazine and put it next to me, and motioned for Charlie to take a seat next to me. He obliged, and took his seat._

"_Something on your mind, Charlie?" I asked him, looking right into his eyes .His eyes softened a bit. _

"_I just wanted to talk to you about Bella." He said. I nodded, waiting for him to continue. _

"_I am happy you two are together, Jake. Really, I am. But she still has me worried. I see the way you both look at her, but sometimes I hear her talk in her sleep. Sometimes she's mumbling about you, and happily, but other times she seems scared, and she mentions Edward. Before you say anything, I just want to make sure that your intentions with her are pure, and that you aren't going to screw things up with her." He told me. I nodded._

"_Charlie, although we are just now making it official, you know I love Bella. I have since we were kids. I would never deliberately hurt her, in any way. I know I'm leaving…but that won't keep me from her. I will keep in touch with her every day. I'm going to miss her so much. As for this Edward guy, her ex, I won't let him back into her life if he even so much as thinks of trying. And I would never let something bad happen to Bella." I told him. He smiled._

"_Good, Jake. I trust you. That's all I needed to hear son." He said, and got up to walk inside the house. _

I smiled at the memory. Everyone else wasn't surprised. Other than that, we had a pretty good time the last three months. Bella decided to take classes at the community college over summer in Port Angeles, while I'm gone. She hasn't decided if she wants to take some online classes through UW too yet, but she said she'd end up deciding this week. I guess it all depends on how fast she wants to get her degree done. You'll never guess what she wants to do part time though. She wants to work at the garage! Yep, she's an Auto Repair major, with a minor in creative wiring. Pretty hot if you ask me. All of us think she should do some culinary arts stuff since she is such a great cook, but since it comes naturally to her she might just open up her own restaurant someday!

Which is what leads me to today. I need to let my lead officer know what field I want to train in, and he needs to know by today. So I sat there, trying to decide. I narrowed it down to three choices: Forensics, engineering, or law enforcement. If I do law enforcement, I could get a job at the Forks Police Station with Charlie, and still be on duty at the base in Seattle. That would keep me close to home, and my lead officer likes me enough that he'll agree to it. So I nodded my head and picked up my phone. I dialed his number and waited for him to answer. When the answering machine picked up, I left him a message telling him my decision and why, and hung up.

I got up from my desk and went into the living room, where my dad was plastered to the TV.

"I'm going out for a bit, Dad. I'll be back later." I said. He mumbled some response and I left, getting into my car and driving to the garage. I didn't know what Bella was up to right now, but I figured if she wasn't here, then she's probably taking care of school stuff or at home.

I walked into the garage and I was greeted by Quil.

"Hey Bro. What's up?" He said, patting me on the back.

"Nothing really, just told my lead officer what my I was going to be trained in, so I thought I'd come take care of a few things here, then find out where Bella is." I said. Quil raised an eyebrow at me.

"What? It's not like we have to know what each other is doing every second of the day." I said. Quil just laughed. So we walked back further into the garage when I heard some low key music playing. Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow at Quil. He laughed when Embry walked up to us.

"Hey guys." Embry said, wiping his greasy hands on a rag. I bumped fists with him.

"What's going on?" I asked Embry.

"Oh, Bella's just helping us out with some stuff. She came by this morning bored, so I put her to work. Man Jake, that girl has a way with cars." He said. Now both my eyebrows were raised. I didn't expect her to start doing things immediately. So we all walked into the shop, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

The garage was spotless! Everything was organized, filed, put away, cleaned, and tidy. There were about six cars lined up in the garage. Two of them had receipts on the windshield, showing they were done. Two had their hoods open, and two were up on the lifts. I looked at Quil.

"We each took two cars. Bella and I finished up with one each so far, and Embry got the two harder ones so he's almost done with his first." He said. I nodded and looked over when I heard the bathroom door closed. My jaw dropped. There was Bella, in a pair of low-cut jeans, and a black tank top, with some black work shoes on. She had grease on her cheek and upper arms, and was wiping her hands on a rag. She looked over to us and her smile went from ear to ear. She walked over to me and I enveloped her in a hug.

"Ew, Jake I'm all dirty!" She said, laughing.

"I don't care. You're gorgeous." I said, kissing her cheek. She smiled and I let her go.

"So are you surprised I'm here?" She asked. I nodded.

"Explain?" I asked.

"Well, I went to the college this morning, took care of my summer schedule, then called over to the Dean at UW, took care of those classes and admissions, and I got bored, so I decided to come over here. You know I've been wanting to get over here and start working, so Embry talked to Bill, and he said if I have the balls to get under a car and get dirty, then he sure could use me." She said, and we all laughed.

"Well then I guess that's a good thing." I said. She smiled at me.

"Yeah but I got to finish this last car, and call the owners, then we can go get lunch or something?" She asked me.

"Yeah that sounds good to me." I said. Then I thought about it for a second.

"Bella? How did you get to the college and here?" I asked. She looked confused for a second then she remembered.

"Oh! I'm sorry Jake. I forgot to tell you yesterday." She said. I blinked a couple times.

"Tell me what?" I asked. She smiled and grabbed my had, pulling me out back to where the parking was.

"See anything out of the ordinary here?" She asked. I just looked around…there were shop cars, finished cars, a new truck, Quil's car, Embry's pickup, my car…wait. New truck? I did a double take, then looked at Bella, who was smiling happily.

"Is that your truck?" I asked her. She nodded and jumped up and down excitedly.

"My dad got it for me! It was a combination of a present from all the holidays and birthdays I missed." She said. We didn't have a chance to talk all day yesterday because we were both busy and she doesn't have a cell phone yet, so she couldn't tell me.

"That's great Bells! It's really nice. Do you like it?" I asked, and we walked over to the truck. It was a 2000 Toyota Tacoma. Its dark cherry red with black interior, automatic transmission and four wheel drive. She was beautiful, for a truck at least.

"Yeah I love it! I was so happy. My dad was excited that I was so happy." She said. I just laughed.

"Awesome, well, I am going to go to the house for a bit, so I'll come pick you up for lunch?" I asked. She shook her head no.

"I'll come pick you up!" She said. I just smiled.

"Okay Bells." I said, and we walked back into the garage. Quil was finishing up his second car, and Embry finished his first, now starting the second. I said bye to them and walked upstairs to talk to Bill, my manager.

"Hey Jacob! What's going on?" Bill said, shaking my hand.

"Not much, Bill. How's everything?" I asked. He nodded.

"Pretty good. That girl of yours is like magic with cars. She finished that first car before Quil finished his!" He said. I laughed along with him.

"So what brings you up here Jacob?" He asked.

"Well, just wanted to make sure that everything is going to be fine when I leave." I said. He nodded.

"Everything should be great. I know Bella has a tight schedule, but she's more than willing to work whenever she can. She'll be a big help. I think the guys and her can handle the shop." He said.

"That's great. Alright, then. Well I got to go prepare for some things, so I'll catch you later? Want me to come in this week?" I asked.

"No way Jacob. You need the rest before you leave. I won't stop you if you want to come in, but don't feel obligated to." He said. I nodded and we said bye. I said bye to everyone downstairs again before I left to the house.

[Bella POV]

After Jake left, I went back to work on the mustang I was doing an oil change and check up on. I pulled my headphones out of my pocket and put them in, listening to some classic rock music. I slid under the car and started loosening bolts and whatnot. I loved working on cars. I would tune up my mom's car, and various neighbor's cars back home. When I was with Edward…he didn't let me work on them. He said it wasn't a job for a woman. God, what did I ever see in him?

I'm so happy I'm with Jake. We are the perfect couple. Sure, we may have little tiffs about various things, but we never hurt each other or degrade each other. Not like Edward did to me. If only Jacob knew the extent of what he did…he would be furious. But I'm glad Edward is gone, and hasn't tried to contact me.

I started thinking about my new truck. I was really happy my dad got it for me. It was something I needed, especially if I was going to get to work and to school. Besides working here at the garage, I was working at that bookstore now, part time. Plus going to summer school at Port Angeles Community college and UW in Seattle, I had a full load. At Port Angeles, I'd be doing my Auto classes, plus some online classes for it. At UW, I'd be doing my creative writing classes online. I was going to be one busy girl this summer, which was a good thing, because then I wouldn't have to focus on Jake being gone so much. I was really going to miss him.

I finished up the mustang, and totaled up the costs. I put the receipt on the windshield and went over to the office door down here and went inside. I pulled the files for my two cars, and called the owners, letting them know their cars were done. I hung up and went back out to the garage.

"Hey guys, I'm all done, I'll see you later?" I asked.

"Yeah Bella! See you later!" Embry and Quil yelled from their cars. So I cleaned myself up in the bathroom and went to my truck. I grabbed my duffel bag from the back seat and put my work shoes in there, pulling out my vans and slipping them on. I pulled out my plaid button up shirt and threw it on over my tank top, and put my hair down. It was all wavy from being in a bun all morning. I started up my truck and drove off to Jake's house.

[Jacob POV]

After I got home, I jumped in the shower and scrubbed myself clean. I hopped out, put on deodorant, shaved, and combed my hair. I went into my room and pulled out a pair of nice dark blue jeans, and a black long sleeved muscle shirt. I got dressed and through on my black vans, and went into the kitchen.

"Where you off to, son?" My dad asked me.

"Bella's going to pick me up for lunch." I said, grabbing a water bottle.

"So Charlie got her that truck?" He asked me. I nodded.

"You knew about it?" I asked, and he nodded too.

Just then, I heard a truck pull up outside. So I said bye to my dad and walked out the front door, only to be greeted by a smiling Bella and a shiny truck. I smiled and walked around to the passenger side and got in.

"Hey beautiful." I said, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. She blushed a little bit.

"Hey." She said.

"Where to?" I asked her.

"Um, I don't know. Where do you want to eat? Are you craving anything?" She asked me.

"I'll eat just about anything. You know that. So how about you just surprise me?" I asked. She nodded, and with a wave to my dad, we left. We ended up driving to a restaurant in Forks, where she's never eaten before. I've been here before, it's pretty good. We got out and walked inside. The atmosphere of this place is calm, but has a good vibe to it. The hostess sat us down at a corner table and handed us two menus, letting us know our server would be with us soon.

"What do you think you want to get?" I asked her. She looked up at me from her menu and smiled.

"Well, I think I'm going to try their spaghetti. What about you?" She asked.

"I'm going get the chicken fettuccini. But nothing compares close to yours." I said, making her smile and blush. Our server came and took our order, and a few minutes later brought our drinks.

"So, what's going on with your boot camp training?" Bella asked me.

"Well, I decided to go into law enforcement." I said. She raised an eyebrow, probably curious as to why I would do that, when her father is in the same field.

"Because, I can get a job with your Dad in Forks, and still be on duty in Seattle when they need me. It would be good for the police department to have an active officer on duty with the marines. Plus, I'll be able to stay close to you." I said. She nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

"Okay. But what if you have to go off somewhere?" She asked.

"We'll get to that when it happens, if ever." I said, and she nodded in understanding. I thought I would change the topic.

"So how is the school thing going? Did you figure everything out?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I'm going to UW online for creative writing, and I'll do Auto at Port Angeles." She told me, which in turn made me nod. That's good she was able to work it out.

"How is tuition going to go?" I asked her. I knew it would be pricey.

"Well, I applied for some scholarships, got financial aid, and they lowered the cost since I'm going to two schools and only online at UW." She said.

"Well that's good!" I said, just as our lunch arrived. We ate in peace and quiet. The food was amazing, but still not better than Bella's.

After lunch, she drove me home, and said goodbye with a kiss. She had to run off to the bookstore to get her official schedule from her boss, then she had to finish some applications. So I went inside the house and got started on the invitations for my going away party, and figuring out a way to tell Bella I love her.

**A/N: Hey all! I hope you liked this chapter! It was a bit of filler, and to make time go by a little faster. **


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